President’s Message: 2016 AIBC Annual Meeting – Save the Date!

February 10, 2016

It is my great pleasure to invite you to the 97th AIBC Annual Meeting which will be held on May 16, 2016, the first day of the 2016 AIBC Annual Conference. This important event is a terrific opportunity to hear from your elected council about the past year, learn more about the institute’s plans for the upcoming year, discuss areas of interest or concern as well as catch up with colleagues and new registrants.

New for the 97th AIBC Annual Meeting

In our desire to uphold the highest standards of governance and operations that are representative of institutional excellence, a number of positive changes have been implemented for this year’s Annual Meeting.

• The Annual Meeting will be held on the first day of the 2016 AIBC Annual Conference
Holding the Annual Meeting on the first day of the Annual Conference – moved from the fall to a spring schedule – allows more members the opportunity to attend, particularly those who are in Vancouver for the conference. Some members may recall this familiar format from past Annual Meetings. The meeting details are as follows:

• 2016/17 AIBC Council Call for Nominations package posted on the AIBC website
As more people choose electronic communications over paper-based communications, the AIBC is now posting all documents related to the Call for Nominations to AIBC Council online instead of sending the materials by mail. This change provides members with additional flexibility since the documents are readily available with the convenience of 24/7 accessibility. It is an environmentally responsible decision that eliminates the paper waste of unused forms. Please refer to the “Call for Nominations to 2016/17 AIBC Council” section below for more information.

• For the first time, council election voting will be conducted by electronic ballot
The AIBC has been conducting electronic voting for recent bylaw amendments with great success as demonstrated by the voting results, and we are confident our members will continue to see value with electronic voting for council elections. Eligible voters are encouraged to vote as soon as the voting period opens, however, arrangements will be made to allow casting of electronic ballots up to the start of the Annual Meeting. Stay tuned for further details on electronic voting.

• Invitation to submit Council Liaisons Expressions of Interest
Instead of holding elections for the Intern Architect or Architectural Technologist liaisons to council, we are inviting submissions of interest for these non-voting guest representative positions. Council will select these representatives from among those individuals who submit an expression of interest. This process is more consistent with the governance model deployed by council. Please refer to the “Council Liaisons Expressions of Interest” section below for further information.

Call for Nominations to 2016/17 AIBC Council

Nominations are now being invited for the 2016/2017 AIBC Council. This is your opportunity to help shape the work of the body responsible for the self-regulating governance of the architectural profession in British Columbia in the public interest.